Mental health concerns driving people away from automotive 

One in seven automotive workers are considering leaving the industry for financial reasons and strain on their mental health. 

This is according to a new survey www.ben.org.uk/surveyreport2024 by automotive charity Ben, launched to mark Mental Health Awareness Week. 

It found that 27% of the 1,872 respondents had challenges managing their mental health in the last 12 months, with stress (56%), poor sleep (51%), anxiety (43%), and low mood (41%) the main issues. 

Meanwhile, seven in 10 admitted money worries. 

Consequently, one in seven are contemplating exiting the industry, with 29% citing low salaries at the main reason. Backing up this figure, 87% of those considering a new career are struggling with financial worries. 

Rachel Clift, Health & Wellbeing Director at Ben, said, “We’re pleased to be launching our latest survey results report to highlight the health and wellbeing issues that our automotive family are facing. Our annual surveys are the ideal opportunity to hear from our automotive family so we can fully understand their struggles and then provide the support they need. We also take it as an opportunity to share these insights with employers and our industry stakeholders so we can all do more to support automotive people and their families. 

“Mental health issues are affecting one in four of our automotive family and we can see that money worries are contributing to this. More people are struggling with cost-of-living pressures, with issues such as skipping meals and debt on the rise. Of course, this is likely to have an impact on their overall health and wellbeing, including both their physical and mental health.”